squeezing in extra movement throughout the day

I work on the third floor of my building and I can count on one hand how many times that I took the elevator in all of the 51/2 years that I have been here. I often will go down a flight a stairs to the second floor to use the ladies room as opposed to going to the one on my floor. It is interesting because I am the oldest person in my office suite; but I am the most physically fit.

Loving life every day! Ro

AMYR73
Posts:
10
3/18/13 2:10 P

I'm glad I'm not the only one to work things in while brushing my teeth. My hubby thinks I'm crazy - but I do balance exercises while I brush my teeth. My sonicare has a timer -- it beeps every 30 seconds --which conveniently happens to be the time period my physical therapist recommended I practice standing on one foot to improve balance. I switch feet every beep!

While waiting on things while I cook dinner, I will do step ups on the nearby stairs or walk up and down sideways a couple of times switching my starting leg after one set. I also will leave out my mini trampoline and try to get in some minutes of jogging/bouncing.

I just love all the new ideas I'm getting with this message board. Keep them comming!!!!!!!!!

HEIDIJO150
Posts:
100
3/18/13 1:13 P

I also try to do wall pushups everytime I go to the bathroom. When I'm at the copier I'll do squats or calf raises. When my lunch is in the microwave I'll do some kind of exercise while I stand there waiting and if I'm alone at work I will run up and down the hallway while my lunch/dinner is cooking.

Yesterday was the first day I did not have an opportunity to get legitimate exercise in a long, long time. I was in route via plane and car from Dallas to Atlanta, to Louisville and finally Lexington. I did a lot of walking, not by choice but it was necessary to go to my gates, to eat and get our luggage. I see how tough it is to get exercise if you travel. The fatigue factor is the hardest obstacle.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

We get a 15 minute break both morning and afternoon where I work. I use my time to walk the stairs. It breaks the day up and gives me time to clear my head and I get a nice little workout in up and down the stairs! :)

I used to do five min. when i went to basement . like i would get on my stepper and do it no matrter what i went to basement to do . like get in freezer or change washer loads . do not do it now because my husband took my stepper off me and i no longer have it . he said it took up to much of his basement .

I also created a "desk" for my treadmill so I can surf the net (like now) and walk at the same time.

And while at work I have an app on my computer called fitbolt which pops up a new exercise or stretch I can do at my desk every 30 mins. I don't do all of them (burpees? jumping jacks?) but I try to do something every 30 mins for about 1 minute. I'm sure I could just as easily create a short list of easy activities I could do at the office and set a timer to ding every 30 mins.

And the typical, park in the furthest spots, go to the furthest bathrooms, take stairs vs elevators, etc.

I love the idea of wall push ups and squats each time you use the restroom. I pick the farthest bathroom, and try to get up from my desk job every hours. Now that it is spring, I can walk to work.. but only for the next week, as my life will shift when my husband leaves for work at 5:30 and I have to take the kid to school. I am hoping to walk at lunch time.

MINI-ME-2B
Posts:
9,291
3/17/13 10:46 A

I'm restarting SP again, but I can tell you what I used to do.

During the week, because we're drinking so much extra water, we go to the bathroom more. Every time I would go, I would do wall push-ups and squats. I'd do 5 or 10 at a time. Going to the bathroom at a minimum of 4-5 times a day (sometimes more), I get in a minimum of 25 each, and by the time I'd gotten to my goal, I was up to about 70.

Don't do anything to lose weight that you aren't willing to do for the rest of your life to maintain it! *unknown*

"If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results." - Jack Dixon

I wear a pedometer and try to get 10,000 steps a day, which is a lot easier on days I'm not working (desk job). I do 200 steps in the bathroom every time I go (which is quite often with all the water I'm drinking ;-)

when I cook supper I do laps in the kitchen. When I need to stir something I do 200 steps between stirs. In the afternoon when things are quiet I do laps in the living room while I read. I have a fitbit and my goal 20,000 steps a day and 35 flights of stairs so it does motivate me to keep moving.

do kick backs while cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner, or doing dishes, i do 12 squats while just standing around waiting for somone one or something .lunges just whenever I think about doing them, I am always trying to stay busy either movements or just fidginting.

Holly/Texas. Time Zone: CST; Don't do anything today you can't maintain for the rest of your life; Studies show a mere 11 minutes of weight training 3 times a week is enough to reduce your body fat and raise your metabolism.

TORTISE110
Posts:
5,537
3/16/13 5:53 A

Walk while on phone.

Toni Go slow to go fast. Maintaining since September 15, 2012

CHARMIAN2
Posts:
996
3/16/13 4:31 A

Walk and squat while watching TV. Dance around while cooking. Park far away from everything. At grocery store I go around gather carts and put them in the cart bin..helps the store, clears the lot and gives me exercise.

AEGISHOT
Posts:
3,647
3/16/13 2:00 A

I do 2 sets of 10-15 squats in the bathroom in the morning, I do 2 sets of 10-15 wall pushups in the bathroom in the evening when I want to shower and go to bed. I had been very consistent with these, and I hope improve my sets as time goes on.

As Bonita-Gordita has said, I have been doing 3 min and 2 min walking videos by Leslie Sansone that I found on YouTube. When sitting at the computer surfing the web or playing a game, I take breaks with them. I have several of her longer dvds that I try to do for more extended exercise, so these short workouts seem easy, but they do add up - and I find myself more alert and energized. I also then make a point of drinking some water too - it kills two birds with one stone

I may not be good at losing weight, but I'm damn good at finding it! That counts too...right?

I've been trying to do the same thing. There are short videos on youtube that you can walk in place by your desk. If I'm waiting for something in the microwave, I'll march in place or jump while I'm doing that. Parking farther away, too. Getting up and moving if I'm at my desk all day is huge.

Whenever I am standing next to my washing machine waiting for it to stop spinning I do leg lifts and stand up and down on my toes. Whenever I go to the bathroom I do arm pushups on the wall.Ten each time I go and believe me with all the water I drink that is a lot of pushups!

While I'm preparing dinner or washing dishes, I do a little of the "Ellen" dance. I go from the sink to the stove and over to the counter where I'm doing prep work. My husband thinks I'm nuts, but what does he know. Right?

I have a desk job to. I get to take a 15 min break every 2 hours so I use that time to walk around the building for 10-15 min. I also get up and go to the "bathroom" just to get in extra steps. In a perfect world this job would not be so ridged but I'm making the best of it.

"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews Band, Cry Freedom

"Gotta do much more then believe, if we really want to change things." - Dave Matthews Band, Gaucho

A couple of things that I've consciously been trying to add into my day: - Being less efficient when having to deliver things around the office or the house (ie. multiple trips/more trips on the stairs) - Doing more standing/moving activities at home in the evening (even though I'd rather sit on the couch)

And just for fun: - Dance parties with my kids (my teenager thinks I'm daft, but my 7 & 1 yr. old think it's so fun) - Playing outside when the weather's good

I too am moving more than I was before Christmas. I try to just get off the couch and do something, anything. I have tried to do stretching exercises while I'm cooking. I have even gotten around to doing the laundry more actively. When it finally gets warm, I'll be hanging the laundry out on the line again and that is always better than putting it in the dryer!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Philippians 4:13

WooHoo - I'm loving all the responses to this thread. It's awesome to know that so many others are making an effort to be less sedentary. I started tracking my "extras" and gave up after about 40 minutes when I realized...I am REALLY active throughout the day. I'm a teacher, so I'm constantly on my feet, walking around to help sides, walking them here and there.

Today I added MORE movement by doing tasks like passing out papers which would normally have a student do. I also walked around the room more while my students took a math test.

And of course, I worked out when I got home :) All in all...a successful day!

when i watch tv during the commercial breaks i walk/run in place, or i put on my ipod and dance!

jeannie

The only way you can "fail" a lesson is if you punish yourself for failing.

- Marianne Williamson, ACIWL

MARMILIE
Posts:
15
3/14/13 3:53 P

During the train ride to work I raise my feet of the ground, challenging myself to hold for one song, or between two stops. Taking care of my teeth also gives me some time to get in some extra movement: while I'm flossing my teeth I do kneelifts, and when I brush my teeth I do some squats.

There are lots od ways to squeeze some extra movement. I stretch. do sqats, lunges, leg lifts and other movements when I get ready to go out, travel or do house chores.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

At work, it is the stairs all the time and not just doing the direct stairs, but walking at the outside edge of the landings and, if I have time, actually going one flight in the opposite direction and turning around. I try to get up and do this once every 90 minutes. I am working down to try to do this every 60 minutes but it is a bit hard to get out of my office with students coming in with questions.

Being home with a new baby gives me some different opportunities to work out. Short SP videos are fantastic because I can squeeze them in during her naps. I also will dance with her around the room, and do squats and lunges with her in my arms while I'm waiting for her bottle to warm up. I don't track any of the "improvised" activity, but I'm sure carrying an 8-lb baby around must count for something.

Robyn from Ottawa, ON (EST)

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust

since i got my fitbit for christmas, i find any and every excuse to rack up my step count! i put out the recycling one item at a time, put the kids toys away in the basement dozens of times a day... i love to see my steps add up!

I go to the restroom one floor up and on the other side of the building and take the stairs. I also stand, stretch and do small movements at my desk to keep the blood flowing (like squats, quad stretches). I frequently walk to work, too, weather permitting. IT might take longer but I feel better when I do because I got in that extra walking time and I didn't spend the gas.

There are no elevators in the house of success. H. H. Vreeland

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it- Margaret Thatcher

I'm not tracking it as exercise. I'm just tracking my extra activity for my own benefit, as a way of keeping myself conscious of how much I move throughout the day. I'll be doing my 45 minute Power Pilates video when I get home and tracking that as exercise.

Tracking 30-60 minutes of extra activity was my daily challenge from SparkCoach. I thought it was cool and just wanted some extra ideas.

While doing extra activity is absolutely fantastic, I would caution you against tracking this as exercise; unless it elevates your heart rate into the cardio range for at least 10 minutes, it's not going to be significantly adding calorie burn, and you may end up overtracking. :) Walking to see your coworkers is good, but not true cardio. Your SP settings also account for daily activities like this, so you could be double counting. If you're just tracking minutes, that's fine; you can either use the quick tracker or create your own custom goal for tracking that.

I'm striving to squeezing in extra movement throughout the day outside of my regular exercise sessions by doing things like: - Parking further from my destination so that I have to walk. - Walking rather than driving, when I can. - Walking to speak with co-workers directly rather than calling or emailing. - Doing a fun, movement based activity with my students. - Always taking the stairs!

Today, my goal is to track and log at least 30 minutes of extra movement. I'd love to hear how others keep moving throughout the day!

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